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39
CAREY, OF CARSON.
The night-mist dim and darkling,
As o'er the roads we pass,
Lies in the morning sparkling
As dewdrops on the grass.
E'en so the deeds of darkness,
Which come like midnight dews,
Appear as sparkling items
Next morning in the news.
As o'er the roads we pass,
Lies in the morning sparkling
As dewdrops on the grass.
E'en so the deeds of darkness,
Which come like midnight dews,
Appear as sparkling items
Next morning in the news.
Away in Carson city,
Far in the Silver Land,
There lives one Justice Carey,
A man of head and hand;
And as upon his table
The Judge a-smoking sat
There rowdied in a rougher
Who wore a gallows hat.
Far in the Silver Land,
There lives one Justice Carey,
A man of head and hand;
And as upon his table
The Judge a-smoking sat
There rowdied in a rougher
Who wore a gallows hat.
He looked upon the Justice,
But Justice did not budge
Until the younger warbled,
“Say—don't you know me, Judge?”
“I think,” said Carey meekly,
“Your face full well I know,—
I sent you up for stealing
A horse a year ago.”
But Justice did not budge
Until the younger warbled,
“Say—don't you know me, Judge?”
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“Your face full well I know,—
I sent you up for stealing
A horse a year ago.”
“Ay, that is just the hair-pin
I am, and that 's my line;
And here is twenty dollars
I've brought to pay the fine.”
“You owe no fine,” said Carey,
“Your punishment is o'er.”
“Not yet,” replied the rover,
“I've come to have some more.
I am, and that 's my line;
And here is twenty dollars
I've brought to pay the fine.”
“You owe no fine,” said Carey,
“Your punishment is o'er.”
“Not yet,” replied the rover,
“I've come to have some more.
“Fust-rate assault and batt'ry
I'm goin' to commit,
And you're the mournful victim
That I intend to hit,
And give you such a scrampin'
As never was, nohow;
And so, to save the lawin',
I guess I'll settle now.”
I'm goin' to commit,
And you're the mournful victim
That I intend to hit,
And give you such a scrampin'
As never was, nohow;
And so, to save the lawin',
I guess I'll settle now.”
Up rose the Court in splendour;
“Young man, your start is fair,
Sail in, my son, sail over,
And we will call it square!
Go in upon your chances,—
Perhaps you may not miss;
I like to see young heroes
Ambitionin' like this.”
“Young man, your start is fair,
Sail in, my son, sail over,
And we will call it square!
41
Perhaps you may not miss;
I like to see young heroes
Ambitionin' like this.”
The young one at the older
Went in with all his heft,
And, like a flyin' boulder,
At once let out his left;
The Court, in haste, ducked under
Its head uncommon spry,
Then lifted the intruder
With a puncher in the eye,—
Went in with all his heft,
And, like a flyin' boulder,
At once let out his left;
The Court, in haste, ducked under
Its head uncommon spry,
Then lifted the intruder
With a puncher in the eye,—
A regular right-hander;
And like a cannon-ball,
The young man, when percussioned
Went over on the wall.
In just about a second,
The Court, with all its vim,
Like squash-vines o'er a meadow,
Went climbing over him.
And like a cannon-ball,
The young man, when percussioned
Went over on the wall.
In just about a second,
The Court, with all its vim,
Like squash-vines o'er a meadow,
Went climbing over him.
Yea, as the pumpkin clambers
Above an Indian grave,
Or as the Mississippi
Inunders with its wave,
And merrily slops over
A town in happy sport,
E'en so that man was clambered
All over by the Court.
Above an Indian grave,
Or as the Mississippi
Inunders with its wave,
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A town in happy sport,
E'en so that man was clambered
All over by the Court.
And in about a minute
That party was so raw,
He would have seemed a stranger
Unto his dearest squaw;
Till he was soft and tender,
This morsel once so tough,
And then, in sad surrender,
He moaned aloud, “Enough!”
That party was so raw,
He would have seemed a stranger
Unto his dearest squaw;
Till he was soft and tender,
This morsel once so tough,
And then, in sad surrender,
He moaned aloud, “Enough!”
He rose; and Justice Carey
Said to him ere he went,
“I do not think the fightin'
You did was worth a cent.
I charge for time two dollars,
As lawyers should, 't is plain;
The balance of the twenty
I give you back again.
Said to him ere he went,
“I do not think the fightin'
You did was worth a cent.
I charge for time two dollars,
As lawyers should, 't is plain;
The balance of the twenty
I give you back again.
“I like to be obligin'
To folks with all my powers,
So when you next want fightin'
Don't come in office hours;
I only make my charges
For what 's in legal time,—
Drop in, my son, this evenin',
And I'll not charge a dime.”
To folks with all my powers,
So when you next want fightin'
Don't come in office hours;
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For what 's in legal time,—
Drop in, my son, this evenin',
And I'll not charge a dime.”
The young man took the guerdon,
As he had ta'en the scars;
Then took himself awayward
To the 'Ginia City cars.
'T is glorious when heroes
Go in to right their wrongs;
But if you're only hair-pins,
Oh, then beware of tongs!
As he had ta'en the scars;
Then took himself awayward
To the 'Ginia City cars.
'T is glorious when heroes
Go in to right their wrongs;
But if you're only hair-pins,
Oh, then beware of tongs!
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